In the era of NIL deals and social media trends in college sports, players can brand themselves and earn financial compensation while playing the games they love.
But there's also a huge downside—the negativity and constant backlash for underperforming, or the toxicity of online hate, create a somewhat difficult environment for young athletes. The latest to speak out on the shifting culture was former Kansas center Hunter Dickinson, who said the outside criticism dwindled his love for the sport.
"We didn't even feel like we had support," Dickinson said on the Ain't No Seats podcast. "Like we had great support, Allen Fieldhouse was always rocking, and we had a ton of fans. But we also had a ton of people who were just hating. We'd always make the joke that after we win, it would be like 30-40 Instagram comments on a loss. But after a loss, it would be like 500. For me, it got to a point where I didn’t like playing. We would come to the gym, and it would feel like such a job. The games came to a point where I didn't even wanna play."
And well, the social media comments kind of proved his point. Fans blasted Dickinson for his take, claiming that the criticism was justified because he was getting paid like a professional.
"You are getting paid to play basketball. You are at a program that expects championships. You knew this when you signed up for it," one user tweeted.
Dickinson was one of the most renowned players in the country when he played, so fans' criticism of the star center was likely around money and player evaluation.
Kansas State fans were likely among those contributing to the negative comments Dickinson received last season, as the Jayhawks remain their most heated rival. Former Wildcats forward Coleman Hawkins is 6-1 against Dickinson in his career, adding more fuel to the fire when the two clashed in different uniforms.
Ironically, Hawkins was another athlete speaking out about the negativity from social media critics, claiming that their comments derailed his final collegiate year.
"I feel like I let a lot of people down," Hawkins said in his teary-eyed season-ending postgame interview after losing to Baylor. "I did a poor job of letting people talk about me, and it affected my play. It was evident all year, and I wish I could just go back and block out everything. Not for myself, but for my team, so that we could have a more successful year."
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